


Belonging

by notavodkashot



Series: Discretion and Restraint [2]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Fluff and Smut, Hand Jobs, M/M, Naked Cuddling, mostly just fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-29
Updated: 2016-05-29
Packaged: 2018-07-11 00:45:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7017376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notavodkashot/pseuds/notavodkashot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Side story to Discretion and Restraint. Somewhere along the timeline of the main fic, Byakuya explains to Renji exactly where he belongs. </p><p>Shameless and self-indulgent fluff, with no real spoilers for the main plot of the fic. Just a tidbit of smut to warrant the rating.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Belonging

**Author's Note:**

  * For [temporalDecay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/temporalDecay/gifts).



  


* * *

  


Belonging. 

  


* * *

  


One of the best things about the lieutenant quarters in the Sixth Division barracks, Renji found out, was that the main heating room was right next door. Which meant his quarters were the warmest, toastiest room in the entire complex, even in the dead of winter. It had been one of the nicest things he’d discovered in the winter following the war with Aizen, as he settled in his role of lieutenant and life in Soul Society began to regain some semblance of normalcy. 

There were _other_ things he’d discovered, that were even better than a perpetually warm and cozy room to sleep in, but those he couldn’t brag about in public. 

At least not without invoking the ire of his Captain. 

That day, Renji had cleared up the last of his duties and overseen the shift change around the Sixth before retiring to the comfort of his own quarters, fully intending on sleeping the whole night in a cocoon in warm covers. Half an hour to midnight, as he was busy doing exactly that, he woke up after feeling a slight twitch in his Captain’s familiar reiatsu. Renji wasn’t sure when he’d become so attuned to it, but even the smallest fluctuations drew his attention almost instantly these days. And though he was a heavy sleeper that could and had in fact slept through a brawl in the Eleventh, even the smallest disturbance in Byakuya’s spirit pressure was enough to force him back into awareness. Not that he was always terribly happy about it, admittedly. It was just the way things were. 

“Taicho?” Renji asked, blinking a bit as he realized the figure standing by the doorway was none other than his Captain. Who was staring at him as if expecting Renji to divine what he was thinking, so he wouldn’t have to explain himself. Since Byakuya only ever did that when he was terminally embarrassed about something he’d done or said, Renji sat up a bit and tilted his head to the side as he tried to make an effort and throw an educated guess. Just then, he heard the wind howling outside, carrying with it the telltale whisper of heavy snow. “Did you lose track of time doing the budget reviews, which I told you _not_ to do, and forgot about the blizzard?” 

A faint stroke of color settled comfortably across the bridge of Byakuya’s nose, as he pointedly looked away. 

It was going to be a particularly unforgiving winter, from the looks of it, to the point even the Seireitei itself was taking precautions against the rough weather. Part of the reason Renji had gone to bed earlier that day had been because there had been a blizzard expected to hit sometime after sundown, and he’d asked Byakuya to conclude the day’s work early and head home for the night. Renji had specifically told him to leave the budget reviews for later, considering Byakuya was so very fond of getting lost in charts and numbers and not resurface until hours later. He snorted and pulled the covers open, shaking his head. Byakuya walked over to Renji, clearly intending to take the tacit invitation, and shrugging off his Captain haori as he went. 

Renji had been amused, though in retrospect, not surprised, to find out how messy his Captain could be, having grown up with a small army of servants at his beck and call, ready to pick up his mess whenever he looked away long enough. He was about to crack a teasing remark about it, just for the sheer pleasure of watching Byakuya get flustered and defensive about it, but the idea died when his hands touched Byakuya’s and he realized the man was well on his way to become a popcicle. 

“I might have attempted to leave, regardless of the weather,” Byakuya muttered as Renji sat up properly and began to help him remove his wet and nearly frozen clothing. 

“ _You don’t say_ ,” Renji snapped sarcastically, giving up pretenses and rubbing Byakuya’s arms furiously, as soon as they were bare. 

“I’m well aware it was a stupid thing to do, Renji,” Byakuya snapped back, sulking even as he leaned against his touch and allowed him to fumble with the fastenings of his hakama. 

Byakuya concentrated on removing the kenseikan, if only so he gave himself something to concentrate on, besides the blessed warmth of Renji’s hands on his skin. 

“Well, _good_ ,” Renji replied, scowling as he threw the last of Byakuya’s clothes away from the plush bedding. “Now c'mere, your toes are going to freeze and fall off.” 

“You’re being melodramatic,” Byakuya noted, though he did as told and even let out a grateful sigh as he settled in pressed against Renji’s body. 

“We’re in the barracks,” Renji said, resting his chin on the top of Byakuya’s head as he held him close. “It’d be insubordination to tell you exactly what you’re being.” 

Byakuya made an amused noise in the back of his throat, but said nothing more as he settled gratefully into the pocket of warmth. Renji shifted them about a few more times, before he found his place, and immediately went back to sleep again. 

  


* * *

  


Byakuya woke up with his nose buried into the crook of Renji’s neck, a lock of bright red hair tickling it. He was warm and drowsy, and absolutely did not fancy waking up at all, just yet. At the same time, he knew inevitability when he faced it, and as always, when he was pressed to do something he didn’t _want_ to do, Byakuya did it in his own terms. 

In this case, by tilting his head slightly sideways and licking along the thick, black zigzag tattooed along Renji’s throat. 

At once, the arm around his waist tightened its hold in retaliation. 

“You do know,” Renji rumbled, eyes still closed, “that just because _you_ have the day off, it doesn’t mean _I_ do, right?” 

Of course he knew that, Byakuya approved the shift schedules after all. And Renji was always so irritatingly insistent that at least one of them should be in the barracks, in case of an emergency. Even though the manor grounds were not at all far away from the Division perimeter, and traditionally – by which Byakuya always meant, as _he_ had always done, before Renji joined the Sixth and began poking and questioning every damn thing his Captain did – Byakuya usually spent his nights at the manor. His quarters in the barracks, or to honor the truth, the quarters reserved for the Captain, had gone unused since Byakuya had been promoted and up until he and Renji had that particular spat over scheduling, so they hadn’t even been furnished properly yet. 

Which Byakuya was willing to admit, was his excuse for crawling into Renji’s bed instead of one that could be reasonably considered his own, the night before. He appreciated the fact that though Renji probably saw right through said excuse, he hadn’t said anything about it. 

Navigating the constantly shifting boundaries of their relationship as it evolved and became something physically intimate was often a challenge, but one that Byakuya had promised to not give up on, despite how goddamn _terrifying_ it could be, sometimes. This was unlike anything he’d ever done before, and had none of the comforts of tradition to help him make sense of it. There was no protocol to follow, as far as their unique sort of courting went, and Renji’s continued insistence that Byakuya should just do as he pleased wasn’t really helping. But it was a testament to how much he found it worth it, that he continued regardless of the constant, unrelenting awkwardness that never failed to make itself known or the fact that what Renji always celebrated the most were those bits of personality that Byakuya had always repressed as his perceived worst. 

“You always speak so highly of the 3rd Seat,” Byakuya replied, because Renji liked to tease him but above all, he seemed to like it when _he_ teased back. “I’m sure she can handle the morning shift change without you.” 

Renji snorted a laugh and ran a hand down Byakuya’s back, following along the curve of his spine, if only because that never failed to make his Captain’s skin break into goosebumps. It was still dark outside, and they both knew it, but Renji was giddy as always, whenever Byakuya allowed himself to be even the tiniest bit playful. He always endeavored to make the most of it. 

“As much as I love it when you’re more asleep than awake and willing to let your dick do both the thinking _and_ the talking,” Renji said, rolling them over so he was pinning Byakuya down with his weight and thus able to properly witness the spluttering scowl for his comment, “our 3rd Seat is Misuzu Hotaru, who can, has, and most likely will storm here and break down that door to drag me into the office if I’m late by so much as a minute.” Renji snickered as he leaned in to kiss the underside of Byakuya’s chin. “After all, the Captain of the Sixth would _never_ tolerate tardiness of any kind.” 

“The Captain of the Sixth is a rightful prat,” Byakuya muttered between clenched teeth as he swallowed back a moan when Renji rolled his hips against his, as if to punctuate his dig at what was currently driving Byakuya’s thought process. 

“Been telling everyone that for years,” Renji replied, nuzzling up along Byakuya’s neck until his mouth found an earlobe and he caught it between his teeth. “No one ever believes me.” 

Byakuya snorted disdainfully. 

“You must not be very convinci– _ah!_ ” 

Renji smirked against Byakuya’s cheek, thumb lazily rubbing circles on the head of the erection pressed against his lower belly. Byakuya glared at him, digging one hand into his hair and using the grip to pull him up so he could bite his lips. Renji was more than happy to oblige, as always fascinated by the way Byakuya’s cold, controlled facade fell to pieces with the right push. It was almost the same thing as when they trained, the moment when Renji pushed back hard enough and Byakuya stopped being didactic and just gave into the fight for the sake of the fight itself. 

He pulled his hand away, ignoring the warning sound Byakuya made in the back of his throat, and reached for one the hands playing with his hair. Byakuya’s breathing hitched, but let him lead him back between them, awkwardly trying to match Renji’s pace and sort out where their limbs went. Byakuya hissed when Renji kissed him, because it distracted him from the careful balancing act and when orgasm sneaked up on him, it caught him entirely by surprise. He caught Renji’s lower lip between his teeth and held it there, watching his lieutenant catch up with him as he basked in the aftershocks of pleasure rolling lazily in his veins. 

“Tell me again,” Byakuya asked, idly tracing along the black lines on Renji’s back, once he’d slumped half on him, half curled on his side, “why don’t you stay the night at the manor more often?” 

Renji looked up at him with that same expression he used whenever Byakuya was being particularly obtuse about something, and Renji hadn’t quite figured out how to point it out without flat out calling him an idiot. Byakuya tilted his chin up, challengingly. 

“Because your sister sleeps in the room across the hall from yours,” Renji explained, as patiently as he could. 

“Yet Rukia is well aware of our… situation,” Byakuya replied, brow furrowing somewhat. 

“Yes,” Renji agreed, as patiently as he could, “but Rukia has absolutely none of your reluctance, when it comes to teasing me. And I don’t usually mind whatever she teases me about but… you know, _awkward_.” When Byakuya merely stared at him some more, clearly unconvinced by the already tired excuse, Renji sighed. “Okay, okay, fine. I don’t… belong in the Kuchiki manor, okay? I always feel like I’m doing something wrong just by being there, much less…” He waved a hand, motioning to them, lying on the soiled bedding. “Y'know. ’s why I like the barracks better,” he admitted, shrugging slightly. “No one can tell me I don’t belong in the Sixth, mostly because I’ll punch the punk who dares, and everyone knows that.” 

Byakuya pursed his lips, not sure how to best reassure Renji or even if he should. He was saved from having to think too hard about it when there was a brisk knock on Renji’s door. 

“Twenty minutes, Abarai-fukotaicho,” Hotaru snapped sharply, “but make it five, if you can, Hirako-taicho is waiting for you at the gate.” 

“Shit,” Renji hissed, slapping his forehead as they heard her steps fade down the corridor. “I forgot I promised Shinji I’d buy him breakfast today.” 

“Shinji?” Byakuya asked, watching Renji fling himself out of the warm comfort of the bedding and then start picking up the mess of clothes on the floor. 

“He elbows my ribs every time I call him Hirako-taicho,” Renji shrugged, carefully sorting out Byakuya’s clothes into a neat pile on a chair. “I mean, not hard or anything, but he’s pretty damn bony and he gets twitchy as all hell, so I figure… why not, right?” 

“Indeed,” Byakuya said, not quite convinced. He hadn’t been aware that Renji was that close to the newly reinstated Captain of the Fifth, though he supposed it made sense, considering they had spent quite some time together and Renji had the right type of personality to not take Shinji’s own as a personal offense. “I will be spending the rest of the day at the manor, looking after clan business,” he added, as Renji gathered a clean uniform in one hand and his bath basket in the other. “But you’re welcome to join my sister and I for dinner tonight,” he frowned, “and perhaps we can further discuss where exactly you belong.” 

Renji froze by the door. He looked over his shoulder to find Byakuya sprawled on the covers, naked and messy and almost entirely too human for him to bear. He crossed the room in three long strides and leaned in to steal another kiss, which Byakuya allowed with that same langid air of magnanimousness he had, whenever they were alone. Renji found he lived for those moments, these days. 

“For the record, I want to be absolutely fucking sloshed before that discussion even starts.” 

Byakuya snorted and pushed Renji away, casually shooing him away towards the door. 

“Duly noted.” 

Renji went. 

  


* * *

  


“I dislike making promises if I am not sure I can keep them.” 

Renji looked away from the garden to find Byakuya staring at him with a blank expression on his face. He’d gotten used to that in so much he understood it wasn’t necessarily a _bad_ thing, it just meant Byakuya wasn’t exactly sure how to articulate whatever he was trying to say. It was still mildly terrifying, Renji thought privately, even with context. After all, one of Byakuya’s greatest skills was to communicate scorn or disapproval without having to move a muscle. 

“You haven’t promised anything,” Renji said, shrugging. 

Dinner had been nice. Even if Rukia had been a menace, smirking just the right way to make even the most innocuous statement into something that made Renji’s face heat up on reflex. Byakuya had preceded over the table and very pointedly not commented on anything his sister said or the way Renji seemed to choke a little in between every bite. It’d been almost… comfortable, really. Except now Rukia had retired for the night and they were both alone and suddenly the manor was unforgivably looming all around Renji, and he felt that metaphorical itch that he needed to compact himself into the least amount of space possible. He thought the sake would help with that, but it was fine sake, the kind that was expensive and should only be described with words like exquisite and sublime, and definitely shouldn’t be chugged back as fast as Renji felt like doing. 

“No, I have not,” Byakuya agreed, licking his lips as he swallowed hard, gathering aplomb. “But perhaps I should have. I cannot promise you it will not be complicated or difficult, to pursue this… dynamic in our partnership. Above else, you are my lieutenant, and I cannot and will not downplay that for the sake of making another aspect easier.” Renji shrugged. Those were the terms they had agreed to, in the beginning. He was fine with those terms. He blinked a little, however, as Byakuya let out a sigh. “But while it might be hard to explain what place you hold in my life, that is no excuse to give the impression you have no place at all. You are not a passing amusement for me, Renji.” 

“Considering I irritate you more often than I amuse you, I’d figured that one out, Taicho,” Renji replied, trying to make light of the situation even if his face was hot and he couldn’t bear to look at Byakuya in the eye. His breathing hitched when Byakuya tugged him closer, fingers holding his chin firmly. “I–“ 

“So allow me to promise this. This is my House, Renji,” Byakuya said, eyes glinting with that same dangerous ferocity they did, whenever he released his zanpakuto. “Until I ever tell you otherwise, you belong here as much as you belong in the Sixth.” A small, vicious smile tugged at Byakuya’s lips. “You may punch whomever you require, to make it clear.” 

Renji leaned further in and buried his laugh against Byakuya’s mouth. 

Byakuya did not seem to mind in the slightest. 

  


* * *

  


**Author's Note:**

> Well, what do you know, they do eventually kiss! At some point. Eventually. But they're still awkward dorks. There's nothing I can do about that one.


End file.
